EP 903 Is Anyone Paying Attention to Children in Middle Childhood? We Should

Oh, the times they are a changing’.  While the focus in a slew of parenting books has been on infancy, adolescence and the teenage years, little has been focused on as it relates to ages 6-12, which is deemed middle childhood.  To many parents there’s a sense that the heaviest lifting for them is over.  And yet the research is telling us something different.  In her new book “The Crucial Years: The Essential Guide to Mental Health and Modern Puberty in Middle Childhood (Ages 6-12)”, clinical psychologist, Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler, tells us that this next phase of child development may be different from that which we remember, because of early onset puberty, social media and peer pressure caused by it.  The child is now facing new pressures from other adults, such as teachers, and schoolmates. Their brains and their bodies are going through changes that can be confusing to them and their parents.  Thankfully, we have an expert with us who can explain the psychological and physiological elements at play at this stage.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download